Goring is not Boring

Goring circular via Aldworth and maybe Moulsford

Length: 18km/11.2 miles or 20km/12.4 miles, 4/10

Starting with views over the Thames, then up on to the ridgeway, down to Aldworth and a characterful pub. After the pub, the main route goes back to Streatley over more hills, but it is also possible to switch on to the route of walk SWC 49 Cholsey to Goring, heading northeast over Moulsford Downs and finishing along the Thames with a possible swimming spot. Thanks to Stargazer for suggesting the alternative finish and for the headline!

Trains: 1008 from Paddington (Reading 1053) arriving 1105. You could make your way to Reading on the Elizabeth line and change there, but it's a slow journey - 0948 from Paddington, 0956 Ealing Broadway. Late starters happy with a tight connection could get the 1023 Paddington to Oxford with 5 minutes to change at Reading. Return trains at around 18 and 48 (a few minutes earlier or later after 5 pm).

Lunch: The Bell Inn Aldworth, RG8 9SE (01635 578272) has been in the same family since the 18^thC. Twice CAMRA pub of the year. Lunch served noon – 2.45pm. It is 7.5 km from the start of the walk.

Tea: Pierreponts cafe in Goring (01491 874464) is open till 5. According to the walk description it does delicious cakes, light meals and refreshments which you can also take out to eat by the nearby weir on the Thames. Across the Thames at Streatley there's also the up-market Swan (01491 878800), and there's a Tesco Express near the station.

Shortening the walk: Streatley Youth Hostel (YHA) have produced a 12.5km (8 miles) version of the main walk. Their Goring via The Bell pub at Aldworth Circular is almost the same in the morning, with a shorter but hillier route at the start. The afternoon's return route is 2 miles (3 km) shorter.

For walk directions, map and GPX click here. For the alternative finish via Moulsford you will also need directions for walk SWC 49 Cholsey to Goring.

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Sunday Walk – Farningham Road to Shoreham

Extra Walk 291a – Farningham Road to Shoreham (or Otford)

Length: 15¾ km (9.8 miles) to Shoreham, or 19 km (11.8 miles) to Otford. Toughness: 4 or 5/10

10:12 Dover train from Victoria (Denmark Hill 10:22, Bromley South 10:36, etc), arriving Farningham Road at 10:51.

Trains back from Shoreham are half-hourly at xx:08 & xx:38 and go to Blackfriars (slowly). If you continue to Otford you can catch these trains three minutes earlier, but there are faster services at xx:13 (non-stop to London Bridge, then Waterloo East & Charing Cross) and xx:55 to Victoria.

Farningham Road is on a different line to the other stations and there's some detailed ticket advice in the walk document (see Transport), but in practice a return to either Farningham Road or Otford (which are the same fare) would probably be accepted.

This walk in the Darent valley had a Saturday outing a few months ago but the post-walk report revealed that large chunks of the author's route were discarded in favour of some ‘freestyling’, so even if you did it then you might find that following the published route is a new experience. I've given it this repeat outing because the afternoon leg goes past Castle Farm; its extensive lavender fields should be in full bloom and you can sample or buy their products in its farm shop.

There are plenty of refreshment places along the walk route. You might find it hard to resist the temptation of an early lunch stop as the route goes right through the riverside beer garden of the Lion Hotel. There's also a designated picnic area across the river, just beyond the curious structure spanning it. The alternative is to carry on for another half hour to Eynsford, which also has a riverside pub (the Plough Inn) plus others on its High Street.

If you want something to supplement the lavender ice cream at Castle Farm there are a couple of tearooms in Shoreham, and tea'n'cake might also be on offer at the church. A ten-mile walk might be more than enough for most of us on a Sunday, but if you need to work off all those extra calories you can continue for another hour or so to the next station down the line, Otford.

NB. There will probably be some noisy motocross activity in the first part of the walk at Canada Heights (a drawback of posting this walk on a Sunday). This might be quite fun to watch for a few minutes but if you want to avoid it you could take the train an hour later and do the shorter start (option a′); you'd only be 15 minutes behind the main group and might be able to track them down in one of the lunch pubs.

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.291.a page. If you're printing them from this page you can save a few sheets of paper by first clicking ‘Main’ on the Walk Options heading line.

Sunday walk - Epping to Chipping Ongar

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Length: 13.4km (8.2 miles) to Chipping Ongar or 26.9km (16.7 miles) if you carry on to Ingatestone.

Toughness: 1 or 4 out of 10

This walk is being posted to coincide with the Epping and Ongar Real Ale & Cider Festival https://www.eorailway.co.uk/events/real-ale-and-cider-festival/

Trains: Epping is in zone 6 and is served by the Central line which has multiple stops from west to east London. Aim to get there for 10.30am. TFL Journey planner indicates trains expected to arrive at Epping at 10.27 and 10.34.

Returning to Epping there are buses departing Ongar at 14.10 and 15.31. Buses call at North Weald and you could break your journey there for more ale and cider. There is also a steam train with a bar from Ongar to North Weald at 13.35 and 15.30 but you may have to purchase a day ticket for this.   

The last bus from North Weald to Epping appears to be at 16.35 though it's possible there's a later  one at 17.25.

Lunch: The walk directions suggest there are many options along the route.

Tea: There are some cafes in Ongar.

Details of the route:  L=swc.276

Tonbridge Circular via Tudeley

Extra Walk 220 – Tonbridge Circular via Tudeley

Length: Main walk: 19¼ km (12.0 miles). Toughness: 2/10

10:04 Dover Priory train from Charing Cross (Waterloo East 10:07, London Bridge 10:13), arriving Tonbridge at 10:47

If you miss this, you could instead get the 10:15 Hastings train from Charing Cross (Waterloo East 10:18, London Bridge 10:24), arriving Tonbridge at 10:58 and catch up with the group along the route.

From south London you could alternatively take the 10.00 Tonbridge train from Redhill, which would get you to Tonbridge at 10:31.

Return trains to London: xx:03; xx:21; xx:33: xx:51 or to Redhill at xx:01

Buy a return ticket to Tonbridge

This gentle walk out of Tonbridge through parkland, farm fields and orchards should be at it's best at this time of the year, with its fields crops and the hedgerows in full bloom - expect blackberries. The beautiful 12 stained glass windows by Marc Chagall in Tudeley Church should not be missed.

Lunch: Poacher and Partridge (01732-358934) in the hamlet of Tudeley Hale is the recommended lunch time pub on the main walk route. It has a large back garden as well as a patio area at the front.

Tea: Lots of options on and around Tonbridge High Street including Wetherspoon'sThe Humphrey Bean, Nancy's Tea Rooms (01732-300401) in Lamberts Yard, Finch House Cafe and Bakery (01732 771775)

You'll need to bring the latest, revised directions from the L=swc.220 page.

Saturday Walk - Guildford to Farnham (with Hog's Back Start)

Length: 22.2km (13.8 miles) 6 out of 10 T=2.12

"Think Surrey, and you probably think of pretty villages, gentle green pastures. The first part of this walk conforms to that image, but the second, after lunch, takes you into the surprisingly wild and uninhabited Surrey heath-lands - a vast area of woods and heather-covered moors which is particularly colourful from late July to early September when the heather is in bloom."

I suggest the Hog's Back start to add a bit of a climb to the walk. Pay attention to the route on leaving the station!

Trains: Get the 1000 Portsmouth Harbour train from London Waterloo (Woking 1025) to Guildford 1032. Return trains from Farnham xx28 and xx58

Lunch: The Good Intent in Puttenham, (01483 810387), located 8.9km (5.6 miles) into the main walk with a small garden, well-hidden out the back. Food 12-2.30pm.  Picnics:  "the best place is on Puttenham Common at the place indicated in paragraph 88 on page 8 in the walk directions."

Tea: "If you want a takeaway tea for the train, a petrol station just before the end of the walk has a Wild Bean Cafe in its shop, a proper barista outlet serving coffee, tea and a selection of pastries and savoury snacks. There is even a picnic area around the back of the petrol station where you could consume your purchases, though this is by the busy A31.

The Mulberry, the pub by Farnham station serves tea and coffee well into the evening, but it becomes a party and sports pub on Friday and Saturday evenings. Quieter pub options nearby include The Lamb and William Cobbett on the other side of the A31."

Saturday Walk - Wiltshire Downlands and Megaliths: Vale of Pewsey to Avebury World Heritage Site (and back)

Length: 36.5 km/22.7 mi  

Ascent/Descent: 616m 

Net Walking Time: ca. 8 ½ hours 

Toughness: 9 out of 10

Take the 08.35 Plymouth train from Paddington (09.02 Reading, 09.18 Newbury, 09.27 Hungerford), arriving Pewsey at 09.38. 

Return trains: 17.05, 19.22 and 20.45 (56-65 mins journey time). 

 

An Off-Peak Return is £49.00 at full price, and cheaper with Senior, Two Together, etc. (but not Network) Railcards or as a Group Ticket. At the station on the day, you may be able to fetch a slightly cheaper Super Off-Peak Return. Splitting the ticket is the cheapest option if travelling on a Network Railcard (buy separate London – Newbury [with Network RC discount] and Newbury - Pewsey [without a discount] returns). Note: the 20.45 return train does not stop at Newbury so you’d have to split tickets at Reading if intending to take that train. Freedom Pass travellers may have to split the ticket at Reading, as the machine may say “No fare available” from BZ6 to Pewsey.

This is a strenuous excursion into the heart of Neolithic Wiltshire, a mysterious landscape full of pre-historic earthworks, standing stones, sarsen fields and hillforts as well as barrows – burial mounds of kings and warriors. The route passes through or past four of the most important prehistoric sites in Britain: Fyfield Down Sarsen Stones Field, Avebury Standing Stones and Bank & Ditch Earthworks, Silbury Hill and West Kennett Long Barrow (two other sites, The Sanctuary and Windmill Hill, can be explored on extensions). 

You walk out of the beautiful Vale of Pewsey over the southerly ridge of the Marlborough Downs, from where there are stunning far views over this land of wave-like hills, with its scarps, ridges and valleys, before heading through West Woods, England’s best bluebell wood (source: Forestry Commission), to Fyfield Down and Avebury.
Later the walk leads along the Wansdyke, a 5th century earth bank and deep ditch. It was built by the beleaguered Romano-British Celts as a fortification to stem the Saxon advance. From there it is just a short walk to Wiltshire’s highest peak (Milk Hill) with its stunning Down. 

After a scenic descent into the Vale of Pewsey an undemanding stretch along the Kennet & Avon Canal leads back to Pewsey.

There are four different options to finish the walk in Avebury, with a rating of between 4/10 and 8/10. Buses to Swindon or Marlborough (for connections to Bedwyn station) are then needed. 

[Buses 42 and 49 serve Avebury, enabling a finish there on a shorter walk:
Line 42 (Calne - Marlborough) runs 7 buses on weekdays and 6 on Saturdays (in Marlborough connect to lines 20/22 to Bedwyn Station); Line 49 (Devizes-Swindon) runs hourly Mon-Sat and two-hourly Sun (this requires a separate train ticket Swindon–Reading!).]

 

Lunch: The Who’d A Thought It in Lockeridge, 9.7 km (6.0 mi) into the walk. Open from 12.00; 

Circles Restaurant at Avebury Museum, 17.5 km (10.9 mi) into the walk; 

The Red Lion in Avebury, 18.1 km (11.2 mi) into the walk. Open all day every day. Food served all day. 

Tea: Plenty of options in Pewsey, for details check the pdf.

For a detailed route map, gpx/kml file, photos and pdf directions click here. T=swc.255

 

Stargazer is away

 

Spirited Away at London Coliseum

Tonight, we are returning to London Coliseum to see the European premiere, Spirited Away, a Studio Ghibli’s Oscar-winning film created by legendary animator and director Hayao Miyazaki and re-imagined for the stage by Olivier and Tony award-winning director of les Miserables, John Caird.  

The show will be performance by the original Japanese cast with English translation visible from all seats.  

For more details about the show,  please click here.  Tickets from £28 in Balcony to £180 in Stalls.  To book, please click here 

It is likely cheaper tickets will sellout, so recommend to book early.  

Pre-show F&B: meet from 6pm at Cafe in the Crypt, St Martin-in-the-Fields. Details click here 

There will be a Whatsapp group set up for this event, if you wish to be a member, please email your mobile number to swcsocialATgmailDOTcom. The group will be deleted post the event.

Wednesday walk - Pulborough circular

Length: Main walk: 13 miles (21km), omitting Parham Park 17.5km (10.8 miles) finishing in Amberley: 18¼ km (11.3 miles).

Short Walk, starting in Amberley: 16 km (9.9 miles).

Toughness: 4 out of 10

Trains: London Victoria: 9.35 Portsmouth Harbour train, (Clapham Junction 9.42), (East Croydon 9.53) arriving Pulborough 10.52. 

Return trains from Pulborough xx.25 and xx.54. 

If you think you might finish in Amberley buy a return to there (same price as a Pulborough return).

This walk climbs gently at first to give a panoramic view of the South Downs from the low hills above Pulborough, where it joins the Wey-South Path. This goes past two medieval bridges on the canalised River Arun and continues across the extensive water meadows of Amberley Wildbrooks to the picturesque village of Amberley.

After lunch the walk heads eastwards through the landscaped grounds of Parham Park, with its large herd of dark-coated fallow deer and views of Parham House. In the next section you go along the edge of Parham Airfield.

You then have the opportunity to spend some time bird-watching in the RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve at Wiggonholt, which has a tearoom in its Visitor Centre, before a final stretch across the water meadows and alongside the River Arun back to Pulborough.

Lunch: There are two pubs in Amberley, after 8½–9 km on the main walk. In the village the BlackHorse (01798-831183) and on the edge of the village the Sportsman (01798-831787), a pub with fine views over the water meadows from its terrace.

Tea: The RSPB Visitor Centre (01798-875851) at Pulborough Brooks is conveniently situated for a mid-afternoon break - open until about 4.30pm.

The Pulbrew Café, Pulborough (01798 903060) is on Lower Street at the point where the route enters the village, about 1½ km from the station.

Other options for lunch and tea can be found in the directions here

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Evening Walk: Woolwich to Greenwich – Far East Thames Path

SWC Short 42: Woolwich to Greenwich – Far East Thames Path (short walk 42 in reverse)

Distance: Approximately 6.8 miles or 11 km for those more metrically minded

Difficulty: 1 out of 10

Transport: 18:01 train from London Cannon Street (18:06 London Bridge) to Woolwich Arsenal, arriving 18:31

Return: Various – Thames Clipper; DLR; Mainline train

I always enjoy doing this walk in reverse in the evenings – starting in Woolwich and ending in Greenwich, walking towards the Thames barrier, Canary Wharf and the City…..The route follows the Thames Path with lots of interesting points along the way. There may even be a nice sunset.

There are several refreshment points along the route that we may choose to visit, including two good riverside pubs on the East side of Greenwich (Enderby House and the Cutty Sark) where we may opt to have a meal. In Greenwich proper there are a number of further options…..

More information about the route can be found here.

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Dover to Folkestone -- Dramatic Cliffs, Swimming, WW2 Relics and Art Installations

SWC 13: Folkestone to Dover (in reverse): Dramatic Cliffs, WW2 Relics, Swimming and Art Installations t=swc.13

Train: Take the 10:04 AM from London St. Pancras to Dover (10:12 at Stratford International), arriving at 11:13 AM. Return trains from Folkestone are at 56 minutes past the hour for the fast train and 38 past the hour for the slow trains. Buy a day return to Dover.

Distance: 9.2 miles or 14.8 km

Difficulty: 5 out of 10

This walk is full of drama and interest and should be interesting to do in reverse. We will climb up onto the cliffs from Dover and continue along the cliff edge with fine views past a number of interesting WW2 installations. On the approach to Folkstone, there is a choice of descent -- the main route takes a steep path down to the warren -- but this could be avoided by carrying on and taking one of the other alternative paths suggested in the walk notes that bypass the warren. In Folkestone, there will be plenty of opportunity for swimming -- even at low tide (which it will be) -- the choices include the warren, the main town sandy beach by the harbour and the more remote Mermaid beach a bit further along the sea wall.  For those not interested in swimming, you can explore Folkestone Artworks, the UK's largest urban outdoor exhibition of contemporary art. There are several maps with various routes through the town exploring different aspects of Folkestone. More information and the directions can be found here.

The suggested lunch stop is either a picnic anywhere along the cliffs or the Royal Oak (01303 244 787), a basic pub, about half way along. There are plenty of options for refreshies in Folkstone.

As a note: There has been some sewage releases following the recent rain -- but Folkestone is still in the green swimmable area at the moment -- best to monitor for the next few days!  See https://www.sas.org.uk/water-quality/sewage-pollution-alerts/.

Enjoy the walk!

Sunday Walk: Harpenden to St Albans

17.6 km (10.9 miles) Difficulty 3/10
A walk through attractive common land, a recently created Woodland Trust forest (Heartwood), a quaint country estate (Childwickbury), and, finally, the ancient settlement of St Albans, with its Cathedral/Abbey (worth a look), and more importantly, the ‘oldest pub in England’. Verulamium museum is closed Sundays but there are stretches of Roman wall in the park and the nearby Roman Theatre should be open (£3).
Lunch:There are 3 pubs and a tearoom in Sandridge.
The 17th century Queens Head (tel 01727 855069) at 7 Church End  (recommended). The menu caters for vegetarians and vegans. Booking ahead advisable. (There is a nearby churchyard, useful for picnickers).
The Green Man (tel 01727 854845) at 31 High Street.
The 400 year old Rose & Crown (tel  01727 859739) at 24 High Street. A country pub with a beer garden. It specialises in cask ales.
Tea:
The suggested tea place is the Abbots Kitchen just inside the Cathedral, which is open daily until 4 pm .
An alternative is Abigail's (tel: 01727-8560039) in the Village Arcade in the Cathedral precincts, open daily until 5 pm.
Before you climb to the cathedral, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (tel: 017227 865830), is one of several pubs claiming to be the oldest in England.
Trains: You want a Thameslink return to Harpenden. Get the Bedford bound Thameslink from St Pancras 9:35 Platform B, arriving Harpenden 10:05. (Not the slower 9:35 from platform 2).
Sarf Londoners can catch this at East Croydon 9:03, or London Bridge 9:19.
Norf Londoners at West Hampstead 9:43. 
There are 4 trains an hour returning from St Albans City.
You can also return from St Albans Abbey station but that journey requires a separate ticket. There is one train an hour (xx:41) heading for Watford Junction where you change for London.
Directions: here
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Hook to Winchfield - a wetland, a castle and a canal

Length: three options of 10.1 miles, 12.4 miles or 15.1 miles

9.42 train from Waterloo (10.00 Surbiton) to Hook, arriving 10.48

From Clapham Junction get the 9.52 Portsmouth train and change at Woking to the above train, arriving 10.12, departing 10.19. This train leaves Waterloo at 9.45, so is an option if you just miss the official train. T=swc.84

Buy a day return to Hook

For walk directions click here, for GPX click here, for a map of the route click here. 

Due to its several firm-under-foot sections along the picturesque Basingstoke Canal this walk tends to be done as a winter walk, but it has several summer delights, including the Greywell Moors nature reserve early in the walk, a marshy area that should be awash with flowers at this time of year. The morning also passes the ruins of Odiham Castle and goes for lunch to the town of that name, which has various pubs and cafes.

After lunch there are other canal sections, along with other types of scenery, and it is then that the options kick in. Basically the main walk is 12.4 miles but there is a short cut reducing it to 10.1 miles, or a longer loop of 15.1 miles.

As well as the Winchfield Inn by the station at the end of the walk, there is also a more rural stop a bit before the end - the Barley Mow.

Trains back from Winchfield are at 05 and 35 past.

Billingshurst to Amberley

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Length: 23km (14m)
Toughness: 5 / 10
Transport: Take the 9:35 from London Victoria to Billingshurst, arriving at 10:45. Return trains from Amberley at xx:18 and xx:48.

This is a great walk towards the South Downs through a typical Sussex landscape of fields and woods, passing a vineyard, a wonderful lunch pub and finally climbing up to the South Downs ridge before finishing in Amberley with its pub right next to the railway station.
I recommend a small variation before reaching the lunch pub a Nutbourne which leads to a secluded lake and past an old mill. Also, if you want to avoid a long stretch along a country lane after lunch there is a slightly longer, alternative approach to the South Downs, which I have not walk checked, so it would be somewhat exploratory.

Robertsbridge to Uckfield

Map walk - Robertsbridge to Uckfield

Length: 38.1 km (23.7 miles). Toughness: 3/10

Option to end at Heathfield after 23.5km

Catch the 8:45 from London Charing Cross arrives Robertsbridge 10:05. Buy a single to Robertsbridge (South Eastern railways single fares are half that of returns, so if returning via Tunbridge Wells, the cost of 2 SE single tickets will be cheaper than a return to Robertsbridge.)

This is a map based walk - it is preferable that you have the gpx on your smartphone / gpx device. (The gpx file is accurate having been recorded on the ground with various waypoints.The initial 9km of the walk is detailed in walk 222 up to just before [6] in the text.)

Return trains from Uckfield: xx:33 until 22:33

Ending at Heathfield: Bus 51 from Maynard’s Green, opposite to the Runt in Tun PH to Tunbridge Wells Station: 16:52, 18:21, 19:21, 20:26, 21:26

This is the initial stage of a walk from Robertsbridge to South Harting, inspired by Hilaire Belloc's walk undertaken in 1902, and recounted in his book The Four Men: A Farrago. Sections of the route taken in 1902 were along "cart tracks" which are now busy roads. Consequently this route varies in sections from the 1902 route, but importantly it passes by sights and villages and pubs detailed in the book.

This first section is from Robertsbridge to Uckfield, although there is a convenient drop out point at Heathfield after 23½km

Thursday 30th October 1902: Belloc set off from The George Inn, Robertsbridge to the Fullers Arms for breakfast, then onto Heathfield. Journeyed onto BlackBoys and then onto Uckfield and took a cart towards Fletching spending the night in a hut in the forest.

Lunch is at  The Swan Inn, Woods Corner after 11.7km.

"...so we went into the Swan (which in those days I say again was the old inn), and we drank ale, as St. Leonard himself was used to do, roundabout nine or ten o'clock of an autumn morning."

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